IC-GLOSSARI (The Intensive Care GLObal Study on Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) is a multicentre, prospective, observational,14-day inception cohort study designed and conducted by the ESICM Trials Group to investigate the epidemiology and microbiology profiles of ICU-SARI, document commonly used treatment and monitoring strategies, measure current outcomes and identify potential topics for multidisciplinary studies ranging from interventional clinical trials to fundamental mechanisms of disease.